China and the EU could turn Morocco into a surprise global hub for electric vehicles

China already produces more than seven in ten electric cars worldwide, exporting 1.25 million units in 2024 mainly to Europe. In response to rising Chinese supply, the EU has built tariffs and rules over the past two years, adding extra duties of up to 35% on Chinese EVs on top of a 10% import tariff. Yet Chinese sales in Europe nearly doubled between 2024 and 2025. A major factor is new production capacity in Morocco, where Chinese firms can avoid EU tariff exposure. Morocco attracted announced US$6 billion investments in battery and EV component plants, backed by advantages like the Tangier deep-water port, state industrial zones, an EU free-trade deal, and a US free-trade agreement. The article also notes Morocco’s trained automotive workforce, Renault and Stellantis operations, and EV production was still about 50,000 units in 2024 out of 560,000 total.